He said, 'It is what you think it is. There's a disclaimer at the top of the script that basically says, we're doing [the sex] for real. And anything that is 'illegal' will be shot in blurred images, but other than that, everything is happening.'

Von Trier, who is renowned for his outlandish approaches to film making and contentious subject matter in his movies, is no stranger to controversy.

The director was banned from Cannes Film Festival after making inappropriate Nazi comments.